Poultry-crate



w. TUCKER.

POULTRY CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, 1918.

1,389,170. ntedAug- 30,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. 22 4c 7I- 1: e2 22 Z1" Z0 (a 20 2a 3/ W. TUCKER.

POULTRY CRATE.

APPLICATION mp0 JUNE 4, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1 ,389, 1 70. Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

UNITED STATES P-ATEN QFFIQE.

WILLIAM TUCKER, 0F FRUITVALE, TEXAS.

POULTRY-CRATE.

Application filed. Tune 4,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM TUCKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fruitvale, in the county of Van Zandt and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Poultry- Cratcs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, relatively inexpensive, durable and efficient crate, designed especially for the shipment of poultry and adapted when unoccupied and during return shipment to the producer to be folded into compact form so as to occupy the minimum space, and further to provide in this connection a structure involving no detachable parts which may be lost or mislaid and which may be set up and knocked down repeatedly for successive use and return without liability of distortion or substantial deterioration.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description, it being understood that changes in form, proportion and details may be resorted to, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side view of a ing the invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a plan View. i

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view showing the parts in their folded positions.

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the connection between a filler strand or element and one of the marginal elements.

Fig. 6 is a detail View showing the connection between one of the foldable walls and the bottom of the crate.

crate embody- In the illustrated embodiment of the .inv vention, the crate consists of a bottom 10 having the side and end upstanding flanges 11 of any suitable depth, but preferably sufficient to serve as a substantial retainer for dust, dirt, feed, droppings and the like, said bottom with its flanges preferably being of sheet metal, and having its upstanding flanges beaded or wired at their upper edges as shown at 12; side and end walls 13 and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

1918. Serial No. 238,123.

14: hingedly connected at their lower edges with the beaded upper edges of the flanges of the bottom; and a removable top or cover 15 whlch is adapted, when the crate is folded, to be nested within the bottom. as shown in F ig. 41 1 Each of the walls and the top or cover is of a construction including plural strand marginal and longitudinal reinforcing ele ments 16 and 17, and transverse, preferably single strand, filler elements 18, the reinforcing elements being terminally engaged with the marginal elements at the ends of the crate member, whether wall or top, and the filler elements being extended at intermediate points through spaces between slightly separated portions of the strands of said elements, and being terminally secured to the longitudinal marginal elements as shown at 19 in Fig. 3. This engagement may be made effectively by passing the transverse strands between the strands of the marginal elements and then wrapping the extremity of the first named strand around the strands of the marginal element to hold them firmly in engagement with the inserted or interposed portion of the transverse strand. The hinge connection between each side and end wall member may be effected, as indicated in the drawings, by eX- tending the filler element 18 beyond the lower marginal elements of said walls to form an eye or loop; 20 passed through an opening 21 in the flange of the bottom and embracing the beaded edge 12, so that after the top or cover member of the crate has been nested within the bottom, the end and side walls may be folded inwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, to lie substantially within the contour of the bottom and thus provide a compact package which may be returned to the producer or shipper at a minimum freight charge, it being the practice in suchreturn shipments to charge according to the space occupied.

At their upper edges and adjacent to their ends, the walls are provided with upstand ing looped ears 22, and at the corners or angles of the top or cover are arranged triangular pockets 23 formed by diagonal strands 24 which separate the small corner spaces constituting the pockets from the body portion of the space bounded by the marginal elements of the top or cover, said pockets being adapted to receive said looped ears 22, so that inward and outward displacement pivot-ally of the side and end walls is prevented. lv loreover, the said ears preferably extend slightly above the plane of the top or cover for the reception of any suitable looking or fastening means. Also the top or cover is provided with a suitable opening, produced by the omission of pertions of the filler element and fitted with a displaceable gate 25 which may be secured in its closed position by any suitable locking: or "fastening means indicated at 2".

Having; described the invention, I claim: 1. A crate havinp; a bottom provided with upwardly extending side and end wall extensions terminating in reinforcing beads, side and end walls having marginal and filler elements of which the latter are extended beyond the lower marginal elements and are provided with eyes or loops passing through openings in the upper edge portions of the wall extensions of the bottom to hingedly connect said walls with the wall extensions of the bottom, and a top or cover having marginal and filler elements and an opening fitted with a displaceable gate, said top or cover being adapted to be nested with in said bottom.

2. A crate having a bottom provided with upstanding side and end wall extensions, a fabric superstructure having side and end walls'looselv connected with the wall extensions of the bottom for folding inwardly into the bottom, and a cover releasably connected with the upper free ed e portions of the walls constituting the superstructure and adapted to fit into the bottom between the wall extensions thereof when the crate is in a folded position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM TUCKER.

\Vitnesses J. FLOYD LoDnN, W. A. RANDALL. 

